Green Career Trends: Sustainability Professionals in Demand, Clean Tech Investing Gets Boost, Two Testing Labs Added for Solar Thermal Devices

According to a new survey from AASHE, (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education), the demand for sustainability professionals continues to grow.  The survey also found high job satisfaction with those already employed as a sustainability professional and an average salary of $75,000 for Sustainability Director or similar position.  60% of those identified as a sustainability professional were women.

By looking for already proven innovations and having a global scope, Silver Lake Investing is hoping to bring to market many clean tech companies.  Silver Lake was started with funding from billionaire George Soros. Also creating a fund for eco investing is German automaker BMW.  They have launched BMWi, the investment arm of the company.  BMWi will invest $100 million into eco-auto technologies and ways of using apps to find charging stations.

Currently there are only five labs that are accredited to test solar thermal products.  Without approval from an accredited lab, solar thermal devices are not eligible for energy conservation tax credits.  Now in the works are two additional labs that would be able to perform the tests necessary for approval.  The labs, located in the University of New Haven and North Carolina State University, are giving students the opportunity to design the specialized labs.